Latest California sports

Monday, January 6, 2014

49ERS-PACKERS

49ers edge Packers 23-20 in frigid wild-card game

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Phil Dawson kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired, and Colin Kaepernick threw for 227 yards and ran for another 98 to lead the San Francisco 49ers past the Green Bay Packers 23-20 on Sunday night in a frigid NFC wild-card game.

In a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the 49ers (13-4) threw the final punch. Kaepernick escaped a blitz on third-and-8 and scrambled for an 11-yard gain to the 27 with 1:13 left. Dawson nailed the winning kick five plays later.

The defending NFC champions came away with a huge win in conditions that resembled a meat locker. It was 5 degrees at kickoff, and the winds made it feel like minus-10.

San Francisco plays at Carolina next Sunday.

Mason Crosby's 24-yard field goal tied it at 20 for the Packers (8-8-1) with 5:06 left before the 49ers' final drive.

CHARGERS-BENGALS

Chargers rally for 27-10 win over Bengals

CINCINNATI (AP) — San Diego took advantage of Andy Dalton's three turnovers in the second half on Sunday, pulling away to a 27-10 victory that extended the Cincinnati Bengals' streak of playoff misery to 23 years and counting.

Philip Rivers donned gloves and made accurate throws in the January rain, leading the Chargers (10-7) to their fifth straight win, this one over the last team to knock them off.

They'll play next Sunday in Denver, the AFC's top seed.

It was a shocking finish for the Bengals (11-6), they won the AFC North, went unbeaten at home and had their top-ranked defense for the playoffs. With everything in their favor, they fell apart, getting outscored 20-0 in the second half.

Dalton now has a trilogy of bad playoff games. He fumbled and threw two interceptions in the second half, setting up San Diego's first playoff victory on the road in an open-air stadium since the 1994 AFC title game in Pittsburgh.

Nate Robinson scored 21 points, while Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried added 17 apiece as the Nuggets dropped 77 points on the Lakers in the second half.

Denver emphatically earned a win for coach Brian Shaw in his first game back at Staples Center to face the Lakers as a head coach. The longtime Lakers guard and assistant coach was passed over for the top job in Los Angeles after Phil Jackson's departure.

Pau Gasol had 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists amid another round of trade rumors with the injury-battered Lakers, who have lost seven of eight.

WARRIORS-WIZARDS

Warriors win 9th straight, defeat Wizards 112-96

WASHINGTON (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 26 points, Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut connected on a trick play worthy of the NBA's slam dunk contest, and the Golden State Warriors have their longest in-season winning streak since 1975 after Sunday night's 112-96 win over the Washington Wizards.

The Warriors won their ninth in a row by turning the third quarter into a laugher, opening the period with a 30-5 run.

Curry and Thompson topped John Wall and Bradley Beal in the battle of the two highest-scoring backcourts in the NBA. Curry scored 14 points on 5-for-17 shooting, but the league's most turnover-prone player had 10 assists and only two giveaways. Thompson was 9 for 14 from the field, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range.

Wall had 14 points and 10 assists, but he shot 4 for 11, including 1 for 5 in the crucial third quarter.

CANUCKS-DUCKS

Perry's OT goal lifts Ducks over Canucks, 4-3

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Corey Perry scored his league-leading eighth game-winning goal of the season with 0.6 seconds on the clock in overtime, giving the Anaheim Ducks a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.

The Ducks, off to a franchise-best 31-8-5 start and 17-0-2 at Honda Center, are the only team in the league without a regulation loss at home. Anaheim is also the third NHL team to open a season with a home point streak of 19 or more games, joining San Jose (2008-09) and Philadelphia (1979-80).

Nick Bonino got the tying goal with 1:27 left in the third period. Saku Koivu and Matt Beleskey scored in the second and Jonas Hiller stopped 17 shots.

Ryan Kesler and Henrik Sedin scored power play goals 2 minutes apart in the first and defenseman Kevin Bieksa scored in the third for the Canucks. Rookie Eddie Lack made a career-high 45 saves.

SHARKS-BLACKHAWKS

Sharks beat Blackhawks 3-2 in shootout

CHICAGO (AP) — Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski scored in a shootout, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Blackhawks 3-2 on Sunday night for their first victory in Chicago in three years.

Alex Stalock made 33 saves through overtime as San Jose bounced back from a 4-3 loss at Colorado on Saturday. Jason Demers scored in the first period and Brett Burns had a tying goal in the third.

Couture beat Corey Crawford into the right side of the net after Stalock stopped Chicago captain Jonathan Toews leading off the shootout. Patrick Sharp then shot wide before Pavelski scored to give the Sharks their first win at the United Center since a 5-3 victory on Dec. 30, 2010.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Xavier Thames scored 16 points, four on free throws in the closing seconds, and No. 21 San Diego State held on to beat No. 16 Kansas 61-57 on Sunday, ending the Jayhawks' 68-game non-conference winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas (9-4) had a chance to tie the game when Perry Ellis went to the free throw line with 11.9 seconds left. He made his first free throw but, after San Diego State (12-1) called timeout to ice him, Ellis missed the second and the Jayhawks were forced to foul.

Thames made both free throws to give San Diego State a three-point lead, and the Aztecs fouled rather than allow Kansas to attempt a tying 3-pointer. Frank Mason missed the first and made the second, and Thames made two more foul shots with 4.6 seconds left to seal the win.

T25-OREGON ST-STANFORD

Ogwumike, No. 4 Stanford rout Oregon State 89-67

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Chiney Ogwumike scored 17 of her 31 points in the first 8½ minutes, and fourth-ranked Stanford overwhelmed Oregon State 89-67 on Sunday.

Ogwumike's scintillating start powered the Cardinal (13-1, 2-0 Pac-12) to a 29-4 lead that put the game away in a hurry. She also finished with 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.

Stanford has won 12 straight since losing at top-ranked Connecticut on Nov. 11.

Sydney Wiese scored 15 points and Samantha Siegner had 11 points and eight rebounds for Oregon State (8-6, 0-2), which has lost its last three games to ranked opponents. The Beavers fell to No. 2 Notre Dame on Dec. 29 and at No. 23 California on Friday.

After Gray fouled out in overtime, Brittany Boyd broke a tie at 96 with a running bank shot on a drive to the hoop. Boyd then made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 20 seconds as Cal (10-3, 2-0 Pacific 12 Conference) held off Oregon (9-4, 0-2).

Cal's nine-point lead with two minutes left in regulation was erased by a 10-1 Oregon run, capped by a layup from Chrishae Rowe with seven seconds left. Boyd's 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.

Boyd had 17 points and nine assists and Courtney Range scored 12 points to go along with 13 rebounds for Cal.

Rowe led Oregon with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Jillian Alleyne had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

ALL-AMERICAN BOWL

Kaaya leads West to 31-24 in All-American Bowl

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Future Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya had one touchdown passing and ran for another, Southern California commits Shay Fields Jr. and Jonathan Lockett each scored a touchdown, and Team West defeated Team East 31-24 in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl on Sunday night.

The West scored on its first four possessions to take a 28-0 lead by the second quarter and then held off a late East rally.

East quarterback Clayton Thorson led the comeback effort and was selected the MVP in the losing effort. The Northwestern commit completed 16 of 26 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score.

Kaaya, from nearby West Hills, completed 5 of 14 passes for 97 yards, Fields had three catches for 47 yards and Lockett returned a punt 81 yards for a score to lead the West.